Sauber Formula 1 test driver Tatiana Calderon and Formula 3 race winner Jamie Chadwick headline the entry list for the first in-season test of the 2018-19 Formula E season.
More than 20 drivers, including seven women, have been confirmed for the test, which will take place the day after the inaugural Ad Diriyah E-Prix.
At the request of the race promoter, extra slots have been given to teams running a female driver in the test. These teams will be able to run two cars in each session.
Audi and Jaguar are the only teams to have opted not to take on a female driver and will be running one car, though HWA Racelab and Dragon are yet to confirm the female drivers that will take part in the test.
Alongside their regular drivers, DS Techeetah will field Sauber test driver Tatiana Calderon.
“Formula E is a really exciting space and it’s great to be able to get a sense of the series through the test,” she said. “It’ll be the first time that I’ll drive a fully-electric racing car on track, so I’m curious to find out how I’ll adapt my driving style to drive the car in the most efficient way.
“I’m thrilled to be working with DS Techeetah following their successful results last season and I’m looking forward to helping them with their work at the first in-season test.”
Team boss Mark Preston added that he hopes Calderon’s testing experience will be able to help the team develop as it stars its first season as a works squad.
“When the promoter approached us about the opportunity to offer a test session to a talented female racing driver at the first in-season test, we jumped at the opportunity,” he said.
“We immediately started thinking about drivers that would be suitable for the test, and Tatiana was on top of our list. She’s incredibly talented and we think she’ll do a stellar job at the test with the experience she is able to bring.”
Elsewhere, Formula 3 race winner and GT4 champion Jamie Chadwick joins Oliver Turvey on duty at NIO.
Former FE racers Simona de Silvestro and Katherine Legge will return to the championship for the test, driving for Venturi and Mahindra respectively, while Carmen Jorda and Beitske Visser will be on duty for Nissan e.dams and BMW i Andretti Motorspot.
Envision Virgin Racing will field Emirati teenager Amna AlQuabaisi, who spent 2018 running in the Italian Formula 4 championship.
“I’m very proud to be representing women in general and Arabian women in particular,” she said.
“This test drive is another stepping-stone towards my dream of a professional career in motorsport and, thanks to the continuous support of Kaspersky Lab, this dream will eventually come true.”
Nico Mueller is the only other non-full-time driver to be confirmed so far. He will be the sole driver on duty at Audi.
Team | Session 1 | Session 2 |
---|---|---|
Envision Virgin Racing | Robin Frijns | Sam Bird |
Amna Al Qubaisi | Amna Al Qubaisi | |
HWA Racelab | TBC | Stoffel Vandoorne |
Gary Paffett | TBC | |
Dragon Racing | TBC | TBC |
Jose Maria Lopez | Maximilian Guenther | |
NIO | Jamie Chadwick | Jamie Chadwick |
Oliver Turvey/Tom Dillmann | Oliver Turvey/Tom Dillmann | |
Venturi | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro |
Felipe Massa | Edoardo Mortara | |
Jaguar Racing | Mitch Evans | Mitch Evans |
Nissan e.dams | Carmen Jorda | Carmen Jorda |
Alex Albon/Sebastien Buemi | Alex Albon/Sebastien Buemi | |
DS Techeetah | Tatiana Calderon | Jean-Eric Vergne |
Andre Lotterer | Tatiana Calderon | |
BMW i Andretti Motorsport | Alexander Sims | Alexander Sims |
Beitske Visser | Beitske Visser | |
Mahindra Racing | Jerome d’Ambrosio | Jerome d’Ambrosio |
Katherine Legge | Katherine Legge | |
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | Nico Mueller | Nico Mueller |
Image courtesy of DS Techeetah